Google ends association with climate change skeptics

On the day of the UN Climate Change Summit, Google’s Eric Schmidt has confirmed their dissociation with organisations denying or promoting denial of man-made climate change.

The company’s executive chairman was speaking to the media prior to the world’s biggest climate change summit pointing particularly at their association with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) who have stated their belief that they see man-made climate change as being ‘beneficial’ while refusing to accept scientific research backing it.

According to ArsTechnica, its association with the ALEC has been widely criticised not just for its refuting of man-made climate change and its effects on the planet, but also its policies regarding the internet where they have been in favour of disbanding net neutrality and government-backed broadband programmes.

The organisation had proven popular with tech companies, including Google, Yahoo! and Facebook, as part of its communications and technology taskforce to try and influence state legislation through lobbying for these private companies.

Speaking on the Diane Rehm Show, Schmidt made it clear that their association with them had ended: “The company [Google] has a very strong view that we should make decisions in politics based on facts, what a shock, and the facts of climate change are not in question anymore.

Schmidt continued: “Everyone understands that climate change is occurring, and the people who oppose it are really hurting our children and grandchildren and making the world a much worse place. And so we should not be aligned with such people. They’re just literally lying.”